End the use of gestation crates in pig farming.

It is unnecessary and cruel, not to mention unsanitary. Flawed logic given by pork producers insist that it is indeed humane and even necessary. What is overlooked is that over-consumption and overproduction lead to overlooking inhumane methodology and excusing it for the sake of profit. If you would like to email the company directly:

A gestation crate, also known as a sow stall, is a metal enclosure used in intensive pig farming, in which a female breeding pig (sow) may be kept during pregnancy, and in effect for most of her adult life.[1] The enclosures measure 6.6 ft x 2.0 ft (2 m x 60 cm) and house sows that weigh up to 600 lbs (270 kg).[2]

The floors of the crates are made of concrete, and are slatted to allow waste to be collected below.[3] As the sows outgrow the crates, they are forced to sleep on their chests, unable to turn around.[4] A few days before giving birth, they are moved to farrowing crates, where they are able to lie down to nurse while being held apart from their piglets.

Gestation crates allow pigs to be maintained by an unskilled workforce.[1] Pork producers argue that they are needed because sows who are housed together will fight. Animal advocates regard their use as one of the most inhumane features of intensive animal farming.[4]

Seaboard Corporation is a diversified conglomerate that operates a number of agriculture and ocean transport businesses worldwide. In the United States, the company mainly engages in pork production and processing. Internationally, Seaboard also has operations in cargo shipping, commodity merchandising, sugar and citrus production and flour milling. The company maintains a fleet of about 30 container vessels, 7 of which are company-owned, and approximately 23 chartered container vessels. The company also operates as an energy producer in the Dominican Republic generating electricity from diesel engines mounted on two large barges.

Seaboard has over 9500 employees, mostly in U.S., Latin America, and Africa. The company, based in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, is a Fortune 500 firm with net sales exceeding $2.0 billion per year. Seaboard is a majority owned subsidiary of Seaboard Flour, which is owned by the Bresky family.[citation needed]

From Seaboard Corporation's website:

Our Companies

Today, Seaboard operates globally through a network of integrated service oriented companies. Seaboard Corporation is comprised of a group of uniquely integrated and innovative companies with a broad global presence. Our main businesses include:

Seaboard Foods, an integrated producer of premium pork products, and a leading pork producer and processor in the United States.

Seaboard Marine, a containerized shipping service between the United States, the Caribbean Basin, and Central and South America.

Commodity Trading and Milling, an international grain processing and trading business with primary operations in Africa, South America, and the Caribbean.

Other major businesses include:

Tabacal Agroindustria, a vertically integrated sugar and citrus producer and processor located in Argentina marketing its products in both domestic and international markets.

Transcontinental Capital Corporation, an independent power producer in the Dominican Republic serving both public and private users and distributors of electricity.

Butterball, the largest vertically integrated turkey producer in the United States.